- Title: USA: Rev. Al Sharpton shares his memories of Michael Jackson
- Date: 24th June 2010
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (JUNE 23, 2010) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) REVEREND AL SHARPTON, SAYING: "I said: 'I'm going to go to England. I'm going to see you moonwalk one more time,' and he laughed. He said: 'Sharpton, we got a lot to talk about. There's a lot of stuff going on.' He would always cut right to business or some assignment and I kind of alw
- Embargoed: 9th July 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA9QOQ0JG5YAU4Y1P6CLUY8GEW2
- Story Text: Civil rights activist, Baptist minister and former close friend of Michael Jackson, Reverend Al Sharpton, reflected on the King of Pop's life and death in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday (June 23), just two days ahead of the first anniversary of the pop star's death.
Sharpton, who delivered a eulogy for Jackson at the memorial service on July 7, 2009, enjoyed a close relationship with the pop legend as well as other members of the Jackson family.
Sharpton said he often advised Jackson on business ventures and record deals, but that ultimately Jackson was strong and business-savvy enough to make his own decisions.
As the anniversary of his death approaches, Sharpton said Jackson's impact on the music industry was phenomenal and unique in its ability to break down barriers between people, cultures and nations.
"Michael Jackson didn't just master what was black music. He learned it, mastered it and expanded it, then brought it beyond the walls of musical apartheid. Before Michael Jackson you had cross-over artists, but never at the level that he did," Sharpton explained.
Jackson died at the age of 50 in Los Angeles of an overdose of sedatives, painkillers and the powerful anesthetic propofol just days before a series of planned comeback shows in London. The "This Is It" tour was meant to see Jackson perform in 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena, beginning July last year.
Sharpton said he would have been present at the concerts.
"I said: 'I'm going to go to England. I'm going to see you moonwalk one more time,' and he laughed. He said: 'Sharpton, we got a lot to talk about. There's a lot of stuff going on.' He would always cut right to business or some assignment and I kind of always regretted I never found out what he was talking about when he said to me we got to talk about what's going on. I thought we'd talk about it in England. We never had that discussion," he explained.
Asked what his most memorable recollection of Jackson was, Sharpton recalled the death of James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul", and how Jackson had reacted to his passing.
"James Brown died and James was like a father to me and James Brown was an idol to Michael and I remember like it was yesterday: 3 o' clock in the morning before James Brown's final funeral, the mortician called me and said: 'Reverend Al', I said: 'Yes?' He said: 'I don't want to wake up Mr. Brown's children, but I need authorization.' I said: 'Authorization for what? It's 3 o' clock in the morning.' He said: 'Michael Jackson's here in Augusta, Georgia and wants to see Mr. Brown's body.' I said: 'What?' because we didn't even know Michael was back in the country. And he repeated it and I said: 'Well I'll take the weight, go ahead and do it.' And he let Michael in the funeral home that night and he called me an hour later and I told him to have Michael call me and he called me to say Michael was going to call me. And I said: 'What did he do?' and he said he sat there about 45 minutes just combing James Brown's hair in the casket, talking about how he grew up admiring him and he wanted to dance like that," Sharpton said.
Responding to the ongoing investigation and court proceedings surrounding Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray, the main suspect in the case, Sharpton said the truth of what really happened would eventually be revealed.
But until all the facts had surfaced, Jackson could not be properly mourned, Sharpton added.
"I don't think the world has been able to mourn him properly because there's too many unanswered questions," he explained.
"I don't think we can heal until we look at the wounds. Who inflicted the wound and why. I think we can celebrate his life, but we can't be settled with his death until we know, who, what, when and why. And we still don't know. A year later, we know very little more than we knew a year ago and that's what's bothering many of us. Especially those of us who was blessed to know Michael Jackson."
Murray has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter and is awaiting trial.
Sharpton will lead a ceremony on Friday (June 25) to mark the exact moment, 2.26pm Los Angeles time (2126 GMT/1721 EDT), which Jackson was pronounced dead. A moment's silence will be observed by fans just a block away from the historic Apollo Theatre in Harlem in New York, where more than 40 years ago the Jackson Five began their career -- a career which launched Michael Jackson from a young boy into the worldwide pop sensation he became.
Sharpton said that along with the fame came inevitable loneliness and that because of his unrivaled talent and success, Jackson was isolated.
"He was in a position no one else in the world was in. So even heads of states, there's a time they leave their office. He would always be Michael Jackson, so he had family, he had friends, but he had no peer. So, when you are peerless, it is naturally a lonely place," Sharpton said.
Sharpton remains in contact with the Jackson family and describes them as strong unit who will fight for justice following Michael's death.
When asked what he would miss most about his friend, Sharpton said: "He was a good man and he deserved a lot more than he got and he gave a lot more than he received." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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